Lessons Learned
by darkchakram
Summary: A/N Post Finale story. I still see it as a Xena/Ares fic even though the conversation is between Ares and Gabrielle. Ares and Gabrielle have a heart to heart about Xena.


Ares had been watching her from afar for about half an hour. She was beautiful, the way the sun played off her golden hair. He couldn't blame Xena really. She was a good, honest person, like Lyceus had been. Ares knew the main attraction for Xena was the goodness in the girl, but she was fine to look at. too. He needed to approach her but he didn't know what to say. He knew she was going to put up a fight, she always did. But this time she was going to hear him out, period. She was writing in s scroll, he wondered briefly which story about the Warrior Princess she was writing now. Wondered if he was in it.

"Hey Blondie," he announced his presence but did so without the shards of light. He was going for serious here. He noticed her hand go protectively to the jar at her side. She put down the scroll and stood to face him, holding Xena's ashes.

"That Xena?" he asked.

"Ares, I've been meaning..." she started but realized he already knew the news that she didn't want to tell him. "How did you?"

"Doesn't matter, I'm gonna fix it."

"What?" She gave him a perplexed look but realized he was dead serious.

"Ares, you can't, she wouldn't want it?"

"And, I usually give a damn what rules she wants to play by?" His attitude told Gabrielle there was no need to argue. Further, she wasn't sure she wanted to argue. If he brought Xena back then she could be mad at him all she wanted but at least Gabrielle would have her back. No, that was selfish. Xena had made her decision, she would stand by it.

"Ares, this was important to her, it is something she felt she needed to do."

"Yeah, well, this is important to me, and I am, well not to brag, but I am a GOD."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes, "Well, I won't help you."

"Well, I wasn't really asking, just wanted to give you the heads up."

"Don't do this," Gabrielle continued to protest.

"No," he yelled so loud the earth actually trembled. Then softly, almost to himself, "I made a vow."

"Vow?" Gabrielle asked.

"The day she came back and I was with Livia, I couldn't believe it, I mean I wanted to believe it but I had held her, entombed her, mourned her. A week or so went by and it finally sank in that she was back. You and Xena were on Eve's trail and to be frank, I didn't care what happened to Eve, Livia whatever, but Xena just knowing she was alive was like being born again. Your friend Eli used to say that gods could never know loss. I can't tell you how wrong he was. I lost the only thing that ever meant anything real in my immortal life when I lost her. It was bad enough when I lost her to her goody goody path but when I lost her, when I let her go so she could be with you and her child, I came undone. I spent years not leaving Olympus."

"Ares, we never meant to hurt..."

"Let me finish. When you came back and after I cooled off, I realized that I could never lose her again. I vowed that I would never, never let her go again. I gave up my godhood to save her. And, I would do it again without a second thought. I can't live in a universe without Xena in it. If you'd asked me a thousand years ago why gods created mortals I would have told you that gods created mortals to have someone to rule, to lord over. Now, I know why gods created mortals, Gabrielle, Xena taught me the truth."

"Yeah?" Gabrielle asked her curiosity genuinely piqued.

"Gods created mortals to teach them compassion, empathy, hope, and most importantly love."

"Ares," Gabrielle thought now might be the time to reason with him, "sometime if you love someone you have to let them go."

"Gabby, Gabby, Gabby, I didn't say she taught me selflessness, at least not yet. So, you see I have to bring her back."

"It's funny, ya know," Gabrielle looked at Ares with a gentle smile on her face, "She always thought of you as the teacher."

"Actually, I think she would have preferred the term, Master," he said and waggled his eyebrows lasciviously.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes at him.

"Catch you later, Blondie, I'm off to Jappa."

"What are you going to do?" She queried.

"If I told you that then I'd have to kill you." He disappeared this time instead of shards of light he emitted light in the shape of chakrams. Gabrielle chuckled in spite of herself.

Gabrielle turned her attention back to the scroll. She was writing this one for Eve. She wanted Eve to have something wonderful to remember her mother by. She was doing a retell of the story how she and Xena met, so many years ago now. By the time she came to the end of the tale, the sun was beginning to set. She started the campfire and thought how she and Xena had sat by the fire that first night on the trail together. She sat Xena's ashes on the log and went to her horse to get out her bedroll. As she was digging into her bag, Xena's shift fell onto the ground and Gabrielle began to cry.

"I could use that about now, I'm freezing here," Xena called from the log where she was sitting naked.

Gabrielle was completely amazed. "Ares, he really did it?"

"Yes he did, now can I have my clothes? We can kick his ass tomorrow."

Gabrielle threw Xena the shift and ran into her friend's arms.

I


End file.
